Parish Finances
THE PARISH DEBT
This year we have managed to pay £23,000 off the parish debt which is now reduced to £37,000. At its peak it was £189,000 so over the years we've done quite well. But things are changing quite radically.
DIOCESAN CHARGES
Our new bishop and his trustees have reviewed the finances of the diocese and discovered that they were not too solid. To prevent a big black hole appearing all the parishes are now charged quite a hefty amount each year. (This covers all central diocesan expenditure from caring for sick and retired priests (like Father Brian), to paying the salaries of lay staff and initial funding of the multitude of building work in parishes and schools that goes on throughout the whole of the diocese.)
This quota hits us hard and amounted to £17,000 this last year.
BUILDING WORK
There is quite an amount of building maintenance that needs to go on in our churches and the Presbytery. Look at the stone window frames in Our Lady of Peace. Look at the rotting window frames the Presbytery. Dabs of paint are needed all over the place and some electrical work is needed in all the buildings.
WE TRY TO ECONOMISE
We think very hard before spending money but it really is becoming more and more difficult to maintain our buildings and to run the parish with the income we are getting each week. Like all of you the bills for gas and electricity have gone sky high and the buildings we are trying to heat are quite large .
CREDIT CRUNCH
We all feel hard up but I have to be truthful and say that the parish is not
at present really providing sufficient income to maintain our buildings
and support the mission of the Church.
That £23,000 we used last year to reduce our debt needs to be spent of building maintenance this coming year. We've already been holding back for 12 months and if the building surveyors got their way we would spend a lot more!
So with just some of the required building work done, we are on schedule to owe exactly what we owe now in 12 months time.
£40,000 SURPLUS REQUIRED
Over many years as a Parish Priest you get a kind of feeling of the surplus you need to run a parish. By surplus I mean the money left over after the normal bills (including those diocesan quotas) have been paid. From this surplus you can replace a cooker (and we need to) or carry out this or that repair. With this surplus you can keep on top of maintenance, rather than always letting things slide. But you can also start planning for the future: finally building that Hall/Meeting Room or employing a part time parish or youth worker or catechist.
My feeling is that we need a regular £40,000 surplus, rather than the £23,000 we have at present. It is just not enough to keep on top of things in three churches and a Presbytery. Remember it cost £25,000 just to redecorate Our Lady of Peace five years ago! Paint the church every five years and you've got to set aside £5,000 a year. Do it every ten years and you still have to set aside £2,500 a year. And that is only one church and ignores inflation!
ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD
I share with you the problem. The solution I leave up to God and you.
With thanks for all you already do!
With hope in what you will do!
With trust in God for what he does through and in us.
Fr Michael
Chair Report
of the Pastoral Parish Council
Margaret Lawrence, Chair
There has been a great deal of work on Bishop Peter's Vision of Walking Humbly With Our God throughout the Diocese. Our Parish has played a very important part in the process so far by completing an audit last September, and by viewing the DVD in April, and participating in discussions about our Parish.
The results of the discussions have been very informative. The recommendations and requests will be fed back to our Dean Canon Kevin O'Driscoll.
The next part of the process in our Deanery is that a Steering Group of people will work with Canon Kevin O'Driscoll to produce a ground plan for the way forward in the Deanery.
The ground plan will be formulated after discussion about the needs and strengths of each Parish. Training needs will be identified to make the ground plan for the Deanery effective.
The ground plan will be presented to Bishop Peter for approval before work can begin in earnest.
The Parish audit and the discussions after the sharing of 'Walking Humbly With Our God' have shown very strongly that we have a large group of young people for whom we were not providing anything, so a Youth Group was set up by Mary Leone.
Youth Group Report
We have formed 2 groups of adult parishioners. One to take Youth Primary school and another for Senior school.
Our objective is to provide opportunities for our young parishioners to engage more in the Mass as readers performers of the gospel in the music at Masses specifically assigned to them As Youth Masses. So far we have had 2 youth Masses and more are planned for the new School year.
Parents are encouraged to lend a hand and we have a number who are ready to be called upon to provide services like heating the Pizzas after the Mass and accompanying young parishioners over to Burnham grammar for the games. Burnham Grammar have very kindly lent their field for our use on pre arranged Sundays.
Senior School youth leaders: Jess Hodge, Stephanie Murray, Melissa Whatley, Sean Dillow, Philippe Kirk, Valerie Barlowe, Rachel Fernadez, Mary Leone. The Senior group also met to discuss the Gospel after 9.45 Mass in the Confessional room where they have bean bags. Subjects suggested by them included. How do we know Jesus really rose from the dead? Looking at the scriptural and historical evidence for the resurrection. Ideas of raising money for charity like by doing a sponsored car wash in the church car park. Also planning ahead what they would like to do for the next youth Mass. We plan to use the Youth Cafe programme as a guide in September. The Junior Youth Group is about to take off led by: Cedrika Lobo, Leela, Elaine Keeley, Martin Walker more are expected and more are welcome. They too will have opportunities to participate in the Parish Mass. We hope the whole Parish support this work by prayer.
As yet the only fixed day to meet seems to be after Sunday Masses and at pre-arranged rehersal times for the dramatisation of the Gospel.
An instrumental group of junior school parishioners who play instruments is also starting in September in order to rehearse for forthcoming youth Masses. These will be held after 9.45am Mass in the main church with Brid, Mary Leone or Jess Hodge. Dates to be announced. Any Parishioner of any age who has a little time to give is welcome. Contact Mary Leone 01628 660005 or 07777607396 or by email via this link.
Catechist Report
This year we had 45 children making their First Holy Communion and 32 young people Confirmed by Bishop Peter.
We welcomed 2 new members into the Catholic Church. They attended the RCIA course from September 2008 until Easter 2009 when they were received at the Easter vigil.
As always we are looking for volunteers to help with this important work.
Fundraising Group Report
The Fundraising group have met five times since our last AGM/Parish Fest in 2008.
We held a very successful Wild West themed evening which made a profit of £958, and a Passover Meal was held in April this year.
Plans are in place for the following:
- A Cream teas/scones and jam afternoon, this will be held on Sunday, 9th August in the garden of St Andrew's.
- A Barbeque is to be held in the Presbytery garden at Our Lady of Peace. The date is Sunday, 13th September at 1.00 p.m.
- Karaoke evening. Date proposed 31st October 2009, this will be held at St Andrew's - this will show that "The Parish has got talent".
There are other ideas for fundraising events which we hope to hold before Christmas, please check the bulletin for details.
Finally, the fundraising team 'Thank You' for your support, and we hope that you will come along to our future events.
Building & Maintenance Report
Over the last year 'tree works' have been completed at Our Lady of Peace and considerable time has been spent determining how we can most economically complete the considerable remedial building works associated with Our Lady of Peace and the Presbytery. Our proposal for completing these works will be put to the Diocese before the end of the year.
Parish Website
Our excellent new Parish Website is now up and running and you can find it at:
http://www.rc.net/northampton/ourladyofpeace/
It is getting compliments from all over the place, so do have a look at it.
